Thursday, April 30, 2009

The Woodcutter and The Most Beautiful Tree

These pictures highlight the detail of the illustrations I've been working on and (hopefully) give a general impression of the style I'm trying to achieve for the book.

All 39 of the pages for the story were painted on 11" x 15" Bienfang 140lb. cold press watercolor paper (none of my materials were what would be considered "professional-grade"...but I think the results were about as good as I could have hoped for).

I used a warm, yellow wash on all the pages (the "recipe" for the wash varied somewhat...some washes have a cream-color to them while others seem yellow-er). I did this to soften the negative space and to try adding a richness to the colors.

After outlining, washing, and painting I went back and did the ink work. In truth, this whole story (and everything that has followed) was inspired by these ultra-fine pens I was introduced to in Japan. The finest details required 0.20mm pens and the bolder areas up to 0.45mm. Painting in general, and watercolor specifically, can be a bit intimidating for me...but going through page after page with pens placed me squarely in my comfort zone.

So! I guess that's about it for now. I hope you have a basic idea of what my little illustration project is all about.

[Must apologize for the quality of the pics...the colors are pretty far off in the photos. But the patterns, details, and forms come through OK, I think. I hope to get some high-quality scans in the future.]

The woodcutter was given a tree to cut by the king the woodcutter checked and found this tree loves him many way so he rejected to cut this tree and said this tree is for you my golden royal highness.Then the king gave another tree and the woodcutter checked it and he found it with the Lord's fruitful beauty so the woodcutter said no my royal golden highness I won't cut this because this tree loves me. This tree is my eternal wife, the golden wife.Then came the disease giving tree and the woodcutter cut it with his acidic axe so finally the Lord and the Golden King and THE GOLDEN LORD WAS HAPPY INDEED. THE WOODCUTTER LOVED HIS BEAUTYFUL TREE WIFE. THE WOODCUTTER CONTINUED HIS DESPAIR LIFE...........

About Me

I graduated from Michigan State University's James Madison College in 2006 with a B.A. in International Relations.
Although academics have taken me in a different direction altogether, my passion has always been in art and the creative process. My preferred media are watercolor, oil pastel, and pencil. I would like to gain more experience with charcoal and acrylics, as well as digital media.
Art for sale or commission. Contact for details.
All works copyrighted.